so my mechanic told me the good news that my 1 of my rods are done, time for a replacement. and i don't seem to find much infos or sources for a aftermarket tie rods, so is there no one making tie rods at all?

Jeremy

 

Search the web for OEM mini replacement parts. You will have a number of choices that are far less expensive than BMW/Mini. If you need tie rods now, BMW/Mini may not even have these in stock.

 

There are a lot of on line parts stores that have OEM and aftermarket tie rod assemblies and ends. Looks to be about $50-$70 per side.
Example, http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/se...294964665+9255
Otherwise you can go custom, which I would be happy to make for you. Though it's a bit overkill if your car's suspension is still stock, or just has minor mods.

 

so i guess not many performance aftermarket options for me to choose from?

 

What is it you are trying to achieve with these?
If you are looking to adjust bump steer then you need to do a redesign of the steering arm to tie rod end, which is what I did with my racecar. If this is something you need then let me know and I will see what I can do for you. To do this you really need to remove your hub carriers.

 

MiniMania carries them, 18.95ea:
http://www.minimania.com/web/Item/GSJ100/InvDetail.cfm

 

Texas Speedworks has tie rod ends

 

Hmmm, .... the Mini Mania link is not a tie rod for our cars. Maybe the classic. They may have them for our cars though. Don't "think TSW has them, at least not on their website, unless I missed them.

As I said before, there are quite a few on line parts stors that carry them, either OEM or aftermarket, but they are pretty much the same.

 

Is there a trick to tightening the bolt on the end of the tie rod? The Bentley manual says it needs a special tool. Is there a way around this?

As of now, it seems to just spin and not tighten for me. Gotta get this one fixed quick. Any tips?

 

Either use an impact gun (works great), or just an alan wrench ( I believe a 5mm) to hold the top of the pin, and a open end wrench for the nut. (14mm?)

 

Assuming it faces up (I'm not near my MINI at the moment to confirm) there's the old trick of putting a jack under it. Slowly bring it up and it will clamp the tie rod end between it and the knuckle. This should allow you to tighten the nut and torque to spec.

 

I'll give it a shot- Thanks guys!